The Final Dance
by FoolishPhilosopher
Summary: Jim Moriarty's thoughts and feelings during the rooftop scene in the Final Problem. My first fanfic ever so be nice please!


You wait on top of the building. He said he'd be here by now. But then again he is always fashionably late. Finally he arrives. He looks good (he always does). Nice choice of dress considering the occasion.

"Well here we are at last, you and me Sherlock. And our problem."

The final problem concerns only you and he. Others may have gotten involved. The police for instance, or little Sherl's older brother, but really it all started with you two. And it will end with you two.

"Staying alive, it's so boring isn't it?"

God it is boring. So boring it hurts you. That was, until he came along. Until this little game of yours started. So slow at first. Funny little puzzles. A couple of people died. But then again, that is what people do.

"All my life I've been searching for distractions"

And you found a distraction. You found him. Your saving grace. The one person that was like you. You made an acquaintance with Sherlock Holmes. You gave him a puzzle, and you watched him dance.

He could have killed you that night. But he didn't. Of course he didn't. Because without you, he would be bored. And so you gave him another problem. The problem, the final problem. But finales are often disappointing, and this one was no exception.

"And now I don't even have you any more. Because I've beaten you."

Because the main character never turns out to be who you thought he was.

"And in the end it was easy."

It was so damn easy.

"Now I've got to go back to playing with the ordinary people. And turns out your ordinary just like all of them!"

No matter how different someone seems, everyone turns out the same. You though he'd be the exception, but (for the first time in your life) you were wrong.

"Oh well."

That is the problem with being a genius; you are always smarter than everyone else. At least you will still get to see the fall.

"Did I nearly get you?"

You smile to yourself. Rich Brook, Riechenbach, your greatest creation. What a fun character he was to play. You could have been an actor; that performance truly was award winning. But then again, if you had become an actor you never would have met Sherlock Homes. And what fun would that be. After all he is the only one who got your joke.

"Ah good you got that too."

Clever boy. He picked up the key. But… that's all he picked up.

"No, no, no, no no! This is too easy!"

He didn't even come close. This was supposed to be a challenge.

"There is no key, Doofus! Those digits are meaningless"

You want to cry out of disgust. No, he's not like you at all. Oh god, he's nothing like you.

"I'm disappointed, disappointed in you."

You were supposed to win, but the game is no fun when there isn't a worthy opponent. The great Sherlock Holmes, your only equivalent, disappointed you. How dare he let you down like that?

All it took was figuring out his flaw. Because he has a fundamental flaw, like all heroes.

"I knew you'd fall for it, that's your weakness. You always want things to be clever"

And so you outsmarted him. By under smarting him. Funny logic, but it did work. But it has all come to an end.

"Now shall we finish the game? One final act, glad you chose a tall building."

Too bad he let you down. Well, the ending to the fairytale is always the best part. Especially when the villain wins. Interesting that all it took was a simple man's story to bring about the fall of the "world's greatest detective". Shame that he needs to die so soon. But then again you did promise him a fall. And you always keep your promises.

"Go on. For me. Please?"

You were described once as a man who wanted to watch the world burn. Wrong. You don't want to watch the world burn. You want to watch _him_ burn. You want to watch him writhe in agony, as he dances, crumbling to ash. You want to burn the heart out of him.

"You're just getting that now, whoa!"

You _are_ insane. That's what makes you and he so good for each other; a high-functioning sociopath and a psychopath. The perfect pair. The hero and the good old fashion villain...

"Your friends will die if you don't."

That's all you need with the heroes. You just need to attack their heart and then the rest follows. He was really so simple in the end. So textbook.

"You've got to admit that's sexier."

But that's what makes you so good. Because you're not ordinary, but you know how ordinary people work. You know how to make them dance.

"Off you pop"

You wrote this game, this fairy tale. You wrote it all the way to the tragic ending. Well tragic for the hero at least.

"I told you how this ends."

He could have gotten it. You did tell him after all. If only he had listened. No matter now, he will soon be put out of his misery.

You look up at him one last time. There is a flicker of something in his eyes. It's undistinguishable. Anguish? Probably. Poor boy he's still trying to find a way out. He shouldn't worry. After all, falling is just like flying except there is a more permanent destination.

"I'm certainly not going to do it."

You are happy to grant him a final moment. Too bad you won't see the fall though. You were so looking forward to it.

You walk away. But as you walk away you feel…strange. Not satisfied as you'd expected. Disappointed? No. You are always disappointed with everyone. Angry? Wrong. You feel that even more frequently, you'd recognize that. A new emotion. Something you have never felt before. Sadness? Yes, that is it. You feel sad. Why? Because he is going to die. Could it be that after all this time, you have developed, sentiment for Mr. Holmes? You push that idea out of your mind. Of course not. As the consulting detective says himself "sentiment is a quality found on the loosing side", and you just won. Didn't you?

Suddenly you hear him laugh. A laugh? No, that's not right. He wouldn't laugh at death; he fears death. He'd only laugh if…

"What did I miss?"

The recall code! Ha no matter, it would still have to be extracted from you. And that would be an incredibly ambitious feat. The last time people tried to get information out of you they were the ones who confessed.

"Oh you think you can make me stop the order? Sherlock your big brother an all the kings horses couldn't make me do a thing I don't want to."

Does he really still think he can beat you? He couldn't. He lacks creativity. And besides, he's one of the good guys. He'd have to play within the rules.

"No, you talk big, nah, you're ordinary. You're on the side of the angels."

Or so you though. But as you look into his eyes you see something different. A fire. The same fire that you have, the fire you long to burn him with. But you can't burn him with it. Because he already has it. Because…

"No, your not. You're not ordinary. You're me."

He is you. Prepared to do anything. Prepared to burn. And suddenly it all makes sense. The message you left him, your choice of words. "I. O. U". Wrong. "I. AM. U." You are him, and he is you. You didn't make a recall code by accident. You made the recall code because some part of you wanted to give him one last chance. One last chance to prove that he was all you believed him to be. And he did. You thought you could never love anyone but yourself, and in a sense you were right. You love him because he is you. You are the devil, and he is the fallen angel. It was his heart that would lead to his death, but who knew your heart would be his salvation.

"You're me."

You don't like to watch him dance; you love to watch him dance. You need to watch him work. Because without him you are nothing.

A wave of relief washes over you. Disappointed you? Never. He gave you the greatest gift in the world. The gift of knowing that you are not alone. That there is someone out there with whom you can compete. With whom you can play the game; with whom you can dance. Keeping in perfect time in a waltz of passion, drive, determination, and intellect as your minds think as one and your hearts beat as one.

"Thank you Sherlock Holmes. Bless you"

And with final thanks, the shake of a hand, and one last look into fire reflecting eyes, you end the dance. He may be the perfect opponent, but that doesn't mean you can't win. Because every game needs a winner.

"Well good luck with that"

And you will burn your own heart to see him fall.


End file.
